5 Months of Savvie Baby

As we near the half year mark, I'm getting super sentimental. Even more than normal! Thank goodness we are only at five months, and I have a little while to prepare myself for the huge 6 month milestone. Although every month under a year is quite a milestone in my opinion. The babes just grow and change so much from month to month.

Our 5 month old Savvie is no exception. Here's a look at what our sweet girl is doing these days.

 Personality:
Savvie has started laughing and smiling a lot more. I actually get some smiles in her pictures now! I would say she is mostly low key and easy going, but just please don't mess with her naptime or bedtime! She is Cranky (that's with a capital "C") when she is ready to sleep. She has become more content to just sit in your lap and look around at what's going on. Like most babies, she is happier in the morning and midday. She stills loves attention from strangers and not so strangers. She is ticklish, and tickling her under the neck is still just about the only way to make her laugh. But it is the best laugh you've ever heard. Also, she loves her mama! She can be fairly happy with other stand-ins, but nobody is quite as good as mommy.

Size:
I have no idea about her current length or weight. Out of necessity, we moved her to size 3 diapers when we ran out of size 2 and had a bunch of size 3 waiting. She can still easily wear size 2 diapers though, and she is usually wearing 3-6 month or 6 month clothes.

Development:
Our roly poly likes to roll or wiggle herself all over the floor now! She will no longer stay put on her playmat, so we have to put down a bigger blanket. And if you look away for a moment, she has rolled her way off of that and onto the hardwood floor or under the coffee table. She's a sneaky little baby. She can almost sit up by herself, and she does pretty well with a tripod sit. She loves to grab toys, hair, and burp cloths.

Sleep:
Savvie takes 2 or 3 naps a day. She usually takes one long nap (2-2.5 hours) and one or two shorter naps (anywhere from 10 minutes to one hour). Napping is a lot different than it was with Camp because we are a lot busier and out of the house more now. She goes to bed around 8 pm and wakes up once to eat in the night. She wakes up in the morning around 8 or 8:30. I sure would love her to drop that middle of the night feeding soon, but I also love that she'll "sleep in" for us. Crazy that 8:30 am is what we consider sleeping in at this point in our lives!

Eating:
Baby Girl still loves breastfeeding, and I love it too except for the dairy-free lifestyle due to her milk protein intolerance. We haven't tried giving her a bottle in a while, but as it nears the holidays, I am more determined to get her to take one! I have saved up a lot of frozen breastmilk which is just sitting there taking up freezer space. It would be nice to let someone else feed her every now and then. I know Camp would love to be able to give his sister a bottle. I know I would love a girls' night out or a date night! But, it's all good because this phase will only last a short while, and I know I'll be sad when it's over. We have started giving her the Prevacid every other night, and she is doing well with that.

 Fun and Games:
The exersaucer has made its debut, and Savvie loves it! She has fun spinning around and moving her legs while she explores all the toys. Her favorite is chewing on the little rubbery leaf. I also set up the door jumper commonly known as "Johnny Jump Up." She is a huge fan of that. Her little legs just keep moving when she's in it.

Dear Savvie,
I love you to the moon and back, more than any dairy product, and so much that it hurts sometimes. You are so snuggly and kissable. Your smile lights up the room and my heart. When you smile or laugh, it makes the harder times worth it. I hope you will be sentimental like me. I hope you will have beautiful children like I do. I hope the world for you. I'm not sure I'm ready for you to grow up anymore, but it seems inevitable, so here's looking to the month ahead when I'm sure we will find a way to love you even more than we do now.
Love,
Mommy


And just for fun, here's a pic of your big brother at 5 months:

Fall Fun 2014

We've had some fun with our little pumpkins so far this fall! We've had special events like a trip to the Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch and our church's Fall Family Festival with Trunk or Treating. And we've done some fun stuff at home too! Can't wait for the weather to cool off some more to fully enjoy this beautiful season.

Savannah Kathryn is 4 Months!

Well, she turned four months old a few weeks ago. This post is super late due to some traveling and general crazies of living with an infant and an almost three year old. I'll try to remember what she was doing and all the details from when she actual turned four months, but some might overlap a little into her fifth month post!

 

Personality:

Sweet girl LOVES attention! She will smile so big when you "ooh" and "ahh" over her adorableness. You have to really be over the top with it though, because she apparently wants to make sure you mean business when you tell her she's beautiful.  She has started laughing! You have to work for that too. The only times she has laughed is when I kiss her all over her neck under her chin. I love her little giggle.

Size:
At her four month well check, Savvie weighed 14 pounds 10 ounces which is the 70th percentile. She is trending like her brother measuring 26 3/4 inches long which is off the charts compared to other babies her age! Despite being so tall, she is wearing clothes in the size for her age. She is wearing 3 or 3-6 month outfits, but she does need a 3-6 month size for the footie pajamas. We are still rocking the size 2 diapers. Her feet measure about 4.5 inches long which I think means a size 2 shoe. I am just stuffing her toes into smaller ones though! #nowacceptingadorablefallandwintershoes

Development:
Our pediatrician says baby girl is advanced for her age! She was impressed with how strong Savvie is and how she pulls herself up to sitting when she has something to grab onto. She noted that she can basically tripod sit! If you stand her up in your lap and hold her under the arms, she is bearing weight really well. She has started moving around a little on the floor or her playmat. She will stay on her back for a moment and then rolls quickly to her tummy. She will wiggle and spin her little body all over the mat and often off of it. She has rolled over from tummy to back a few times, but she is quite happy staying on her belly.

Sleep:
We had some sleep regression at four months. She is still sleeping in the rock and play (in her room) at night, but she takes her naps in the crib. In the crib, she will roll over to her tummy to sleep. Now that she is rolling over, I will only swaddle her from the waist down. She generally has three to four naps a day, and she is ready for her milk dinner and bed by 7:30. It takes almost an hour to feed her then because she is so sleepy. She started waking up two times a night to eat and sometimes will want to play. I have found that the swing will put her back to sleep even though she is often wide awake after a midnight feeding. The pediatrician suggested that we let her cry it out now for the night wakings, but I am not quite ready to do that. It makes it even harder to try that since she shares a wall with Camp, and we certainly don't want them both awake at 3 am! Go to sleep, Baby Savvie!

Eating:
Same as last month for the most part. She nurses five or six times a day, waking up once or twice to eat at night. She has gotten quite efficient so her nursing sessions during the day are quick, usually totaling about 15 minutes (or less). I'm a big fan of those short feedings. She still takes Prevacid for her reflux, and it seems to be under control now. She still spits up every few times after eating, but it is not as much and she is not in pain. Some days we will go an entire day without spit up! She generally makes up for it the next day by going through a handful of burp cloths. We have tried several times to give her a bottle of breastmilk. She is not a fan. She has taken it twice, but she is stubborn and just doesn't seem interested.

 

Fun and Games:
Savvie loves playing with (sucking on) her little kitten lovie when she's in her carseat. I got her a fancy stroller toy to hook to her seat so she can look in the mirror, chew on the teether, and crinkle the butterfly wings. She loves playing with toy keys and grabbing hanging toys on her playmat. She enjoys riding the horsey and is a huge fan of bathtime. Except the one time her daddy gave her a bath alone. She did NOT like that. Savvie really likes to sit in my lap and watch other people. So far she is a mama's girl, and she is content if mama is holding her or in her sight. Camp loves that she is starting to be a little more interactive. He likes to share her toys and give her hugs and call her "Bubbles." It's so awesome.

 

Dear Baby Savvie,
How can you already be four months old? This is happening way too fast! I am loving having a baby girl who is so sweet and happy. I just can't stop kissing you and cuddling you. You are such a smart and strong baby. I think you are trying to grow up faster so you can keep up with your big brother. You don't need to do that. Slow down and enjoy these moments (or at least let mommy enjoy them). I hope you won't do it forever, but I love the way you suck your thumb when you are tired. I love the way you roll over onto your side and then tummy to sleep. I love the way you look at me with such love and adoration as if I am your favorite, but you do the same to daddy which melts my heart. I love the way you let Camp smother you with hugs and don't complain a bit. I love that you will wear a headband or bow and usually keep it on. I love the way you splish and splash in the bathtub with such joy. I love you, my sweet baby girl.
Love,
Emotional Mommy

Savvie is 3 Months Old!

We are over the newborn hump, and it is awesome! Sweet Savannah has really started having fun and loving life. She melts my heart with her darling smile and warm snuggles. We are just loving being a family of four.

 Here's a look at our baby girl this month.

Personality:

Savvie has figured out that life outside the womb isn't so bad. She loves when her brother interacts with her, and she will smile so big if you smile big at her. She's actually pretty chill most of the time. She goes with the flow pretty well, so we are able to go to playdates, parks, and gymnastics with Camp. As long as she can nap in her carseat and drink mama's milk while we are out, she is quite happy. She loves being worn in the Ergo (but it has a time limit for her) so that helps us be movers and shakers all week long. She had her first complete church service in the nursery with no fussing, and the ladies said she loved the swing. We are so thankful to have some great changes this last month!

Size:

Our girl is wearing mostly 3 month clothes and still in size 2 diapers. She weighs 13 pounds 9 ounces and is about 25.5 inches long.

Development:

Baby's reflux has continued to improve, and she is meeting a lot of the development milestones. She has discovered her feet! Savvie loves to grab her feet and still sucks her thumb and hands. Tummy time has become a favorite time. She is good at lifting her head and starting to lift her chest up some. When she's on the playmat, she swats and grabs the dangling toys. She is able to pull on one toy that makes music play. Savvie is definitely strong in grabbing and holding tight. Our sweetheart makes good eye contact. She has also started babbling which is quite adorable.

Sleep:
When Savvie gets tired, she starts sucking her thumb. Another sign of sleepiness is her squealing and cat-like noises. She can be quite loud. It sounds kind of cute but can become annoying fast, so it works to get her in the bed quick! Naps have gotten longer. Night sleep goes back and forth between great and two times waking in the night. Savs will normally take one really great nap during the day. Her other naps are more like cat naps in the car, Ergo, or swing. Her long nap is often 2 hours or more. Her shorter naps are between 20 minutes and an hour. She goes to bed at night around 8:30 pm, will usually wake up around 3 am to eat, and goes back to sleep until 6:30 or so. She has slept from 8:30 to 6 a couple of times, and it was marvelous! Savvie likes to be swaddled in a swaddler or blanket. At night, she starts out in the Rock 'n Play but sometimes ends up in the swing. For naps, I try to put her in the crib. I am over the moon that she is sleeping better and giving me a chance to rest myself.

Eating:
S.K. nurses five or six times a day/night. She eats every 3-4 hours during the day with some longer stretches if she's taking a good nap. At night, she will usually wake up once (occasionally twice) to eat. So far she has only had breastmilk!

Fun and Games:
Camp loves to entertain his little sister. She likes being read to, hitting toys, playing with her feet, making funny noises, mommy/daddy/brother singing, and being on the move. She is fascinated by the TV (oops!) and just watching people. She gets bored pretty easily, so she keeps us on our toes. I love this website for finding unique activities to do with her.

Dear Savvie,
Thank you, thank you, thank you for more sleep!!! I'm glad you have been feeling better and can sleep longer. Thank you also for loving mommy's milk and being so good at nursing. You are such a sweet and accepting little sister. It's fun to see how much Camp adores you and that you are fascinated by the crazy things he does. I love to hear you coo and babble. You are simply the best little baby girl ever. We love you bunches.
Love,
Mommy
xoxo